Wind changes sweeping Victoria are pushing flames towards rural towns, bringing new challenges for communities and authorities threatened by blazes in the state's east.
Bruthen CFA said a bushfire that was threatening the town breached the defence perimeter about 8:45pm yesterday.
The fire moving towards Mallacoota started at Wingan River on Sunday and was 10 kilometres from the town at 8:30pm on Monday. Firefighters were cutting down trees in the area yesterday to mitigate risk and fire trucks surrounded people camping near the water, spraying down the area to keep it cool. Former ABC 7.30 journalist Gus Goswell, who is in Mallacoota on holiday, said emergency authorities had advised people on Tuesday evening to move to the jetty foreshore as it was the safest place in town.
He wrote on Facebook that the Country Fire Authority was prepared to form a ring of fire fighting vehicles to shoot a wall of water to shield people from the fire.
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